Leading the way in AI-driven post-operative care

As a child, Youssef Helwa (MASc'17) was captivated by his mother's experiences as a surgeon, listening to stories of the patients she cared for. Those early conversations sparked the vision that would eventually lead to FluidAI. The intersection of artificial intelligence and health care is evolving at an unprecedented pace, reshaping how medical professionals diagnose, monitorand treat patients. Nowhere is this transformation more evidentthan in post-operative care, where AI is enabling early prediction of complications and improving patient outcomes.

FluidAI, a Kitchener-Waterloo-based company, is at the forefront of this transformation, developing AI-powered monitoring systems that enhance surgical recovery worldwide.

"Surgeons have longsought a solution to the uncertainties of post-operative complications. Our answer was to develop a hardware platform that uses AI to provideimmediate insightsright at the bedside," says Helwa, CEO and co-founder of FluidAI. "By delivering real-time data directly to the clinical setting, our platformhelps facilitate early intervention and better patient care."

In September 2025, FluidAI took another big step in delivering better patient care by receiving clearancefrom the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to bring its product to patients and hospitals in the world's largest health-care market.

Expanding beyond hardwaretowards AI-powered software

Initially, FluidAI focused on a proprietary medical devicethat monitoredpatients for complications following abdominal surgery. While the device proved effective in early clinical studies, the company quickly recognized that integrating health record datato extend the capabilities of its hardware would enhance post-operative care beyond predicting post-operative leaks.

By integrating data from patient health records with proprietary data collected from its device, FluidAI dramatically improvesthe accuracy of detecting complications such as post-operative leaks. The AI-driven softwaremayalso enable the detection of sepsis and respiratory depression - two critical post-surgical concerns. Surgeons provided valuable feedback that further refined the system's focus.

"One of the pivotal learnings was that surgeons needed to know which patients were not going to have a complication, so they could be discharged sooner," Helwasays. "Clearing hospital backlogs and optimizing patient flow are just as crucial as early detectionof patients who are more likely to have complications."

Global expansionand regulatory milestones

FluidAI'ssuccess has extended beyond its origins at Waterloo. In Canada, FluidAIis completing its first commercial deployment at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. The company has secured regulatory approvals across the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and is actively selling in those markets. Regulatory approval in the United States is expected this year, further accelerating the company's growth.

A growing presence in the Waterloo tech ecosystem

Headquartered in Kitchener-Waterloo, FluidAI remainsdeeply rooted in the region's thriving medical technology ecosystem. The company resides within the Medical Innovation Xchange (MIX), an industry-led hub of medtechcompanies, and has since expanded its footprint within the MIX facility, taking on more office and manufacturing space. FluidAI'shardware is manufactured and packaged in Canada, supporting its growing global reach from its Ontario base.

The company's talent pipeline continues to draw from the University of Waterloo and the surrounding region, with most ofits co-op and full-time employees coming from the Kitchener-Waterloo area. "Talent has been incredibly important," Helwasays. "We're still benefiting from the same ecosystem that helped us get started."

In 2023, FluidAIsecured a strong Series A funding round, raising nearly $15 millionUSD. This investment is fueling the company's expansion, both in terms of nabbing market shareand technological advancements. The company has also generated its first revenue since the funding round, a significant step towards long-term sustainability.